Dancing Around
by RayhneTess
Summary: Summary: Lucy, a dancer and amateur storyteller has to deal with some changes to the choreography she worked so hard on. Natsu, a choreographer and coach, also one of Lucy's childhood friends. When the two are set into an arrangement, the question of will this work out is ever present.
1. Chapter 1

NaLu

Rating - T for themes discussed

Chapter Rating - T for themes and ideas

Genre - Romance & Friendship

Word Count - 6,193 Words

Chapter Word Count - 1,170 Words

* * *

Lucy was outside in her garden, working on her turns. Her mind was filled with the happenings of the exhausting day. She had been told to change her choreography and make it easier, just because _one_ person couldn't get the tondue plié right. Then Aquarius told her that her choreography would be adjusted again when whatever choreographer and coach came in the next day. Over all, she was filled with turmoil, and figured turning could do her some good. However, she stopped working on her turns when the song switched to the one she had choreographed.

Lucy counted herself in and began the dance. From chassé, to a développé leap, then to a chaîné, followed by a barrel turn, then finally ending in the tondue plié. She counted again, her mind racing with a feeling similar to flying. The entire point of dance was to tell a story, which was what Lucy wanted to do, become an author that is. Yes she danced, yes she enjoyed it, but her real passion lay in the art of storytelling.

Lucy missed a step and began falling backwards. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the impact of the grass, but instead, she was surrounded by warmth, and strong arms were holding her up.

"That was quite a nasty fall you almost had." Lucy was nearly speechless. Nearly.

"But it wasn't, thanks to you Mr. Dragneel." He smirked at her.

"You know who I am." He sounded pleased and Lucy scrunched her eyebrows together.

"Of course, doesn't everybody?" She also wanted to add that she would remember his pink hair for eternity, even if they hadn't seen each other since her mother passed, but she didn't.

"I guess you're right miss Heartfilia—"

Lucy cut in, "just Lucy is fine."

"Then just Natsu is fine for me." Lucy looked shocked and Natsu actually grinned at her.

"All right then, Natsu." She tested out how his name sounded and decided she liked the way it rolled off her tongue.

"Well Lucy, how did you know it was me?"

Lucy smiled, similarly liking the way her name sounded coming from him. "Your hair. It gave you away."

"Darling, would you please come inside? I have someone I'd like for you to meet." Lucy's father called out from his office window, without looking down at his daughter.

"Of course!" It seemed at this moment that Lucy and Natsu remembered that she was still being held in his embrace.

"Thank you Natsu, I guess that's my cue." Natsu released the girl and watched her go, and Lucy wondered if he even remembered her.

Lucy walked into her father's office to see a red-haired man sitting in one of her father's conference chairs. A third was pulled up next to the original two, and Lucy followed her father's directive to sit in the extra seat. The red-haired man was talking on his cell phone.

"Yes, please come up here now." He would take a breath between each statement. "Mhmm, to meet her, but be nice. Of course you are always nice, now hurry up." With that, the phone conversation ended and Lucy was introduced to the man.

"Lucy, I would like you to meet Igneel, an old friend of mine." Lucy shook hands with the man and smiled, knowing she had only ever met his wife.

"So lovely to meet you Mr—"

"No, no formalities, please, just call me Igneel."

"Oh, of course Igneel."

The door behind them creaked open, and it took all of Lucy's etiquette training to keep her from turning around to see who had just walked in. Although, she had a feeling she knew what this meeting was about. It didn't stop her from gripping tightly to the seat's armrests.

"Hey dad, sorry about that."

"No problem kiddo, now come on over and sit down."

Lucy's mind was racing. She had never had to meet the guy she was engaged to before on the day it was announced. She wondered if this guy was as much of a douche as all the others had been.

"So kids," her father began, "you two are to be married after three years of being together." Lucy sat and listened to her father, albeit a bit angrily, her nails digging into the armrests. "This is mainly a business endeavor, in order to combine the Dragneel and Heartfilia corporations."

Lucy looked over at the pink haired boy she knew would be sitting next to her when he audibly gasped. "Wait, what?"

"Yes, and starting tonight, Natsu will live here, simply because it is closer to your work than the Dragneel estate." Natsu's father spoke with a commanding tone, and Natsu didn't even try to argue. "Now, why don't you two go bond while we do some talking."

Again, Natsu put up no fight, gripping Lucy's arm and pulling her out with him.

"You knew." He stated.

"No."

"Yes you did, otherwise you would have turned to see who it was—"

"Etiquette classes."

"Then you wouldn't have been so calm."

"Calm?" Now it was Lucy's turn to give him a stern talking to, and she backed Natsu into a wall, pinning him with a finger poking into his chest. "That was _not_ calm. You haven't seen me calm yet dragon boy, so get over it." Lucy's mind was reeling, but only one question was clear. "Have you never had this happen before?"

Natsu looked at Lucy as though she had grown another head, "of course not! Why the hell would I have been engaged before?"

"Oh." Lucy said softly, backing away.

"Wait," now Natsu switched their positions, "have you?" Lucy, who was staring into his chest, nodded and Natsu pushed onwards with his questioning. "How many times?"

"Six." She claimed timidly.

"And not a one worked?" Lucy shook her head. "Why not?"

This time, Lucy spoke with passion. "Because they were all _assholes_!" She quickly covered her mouth, but Natsu burst out laughing.

"Wow, alrighty Luce."

Her embarrassment began to fade as she remembered their time as children. "Luce?"

Natsu grinned, "your new nickname. But only I get to use it, got it?" Lucy nodded, noticing that throughout the questioning Natsu had trapped her against the wall in between his arms and his face was really close. She also noticed that he didn't seem to remember their time together as children.

"Natsu, Lucy!" Igneel was walking towards them, smiling. "Glad to see you two are getting along well." Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and linked their fingers together, dragging her to his father grinning.

"Yeah!" Lucy began to tune out the conversation they were having until she heard Natsu talking to her. "Luce? Luce. Hey Luce." When she blinked at him, he took it as a sign to continue. "Are you tired?"

She nodded, then was suddenly swept off her feet and in Natsu's arms. She didn't remember much after that, falling asleep in his arms and then waking up in the morning feeling warm, but the source was already gone.

* * *

Hey lovelies!

To those of you coming from NaLu Week 2017, hi again! This was exactly the same as day 3, and the next chapter will be exactly the same as day 4, so you can skip it if you wish! The only thing different will be the note, just like this one. To those of you who haven't read my NaLu Week contribution for 2017, chapter 1 and 2 of Dancing Around are days 3 and 4. This is based off of one of ayumichi-me's drawings, well, the next part is. But either way, I'll leave it at that! Let me know if you have any questions or comments! I love to hear from you!

~Rayhne


	2. Chapter 2

NaLu

Rating - T for themes discussed

Chapter Rating - T for themes and ideas

Genre - Romance & Friendship

Word Count - 6,193 Words

Chapter Word Count - 1,492 Words

* * *

"You make them bow for you? That's a splendid idea!" Lucy looked up to see Aquarius walk in with someone new.

"Shut up." Aquarius had her hair in its usual fashion, but she carried a different atmosphere with her that day. "Listen up brats! This is Natsu Dragneel, the famous choreographer and coach. I'm sure you all have heard of him at least once." At this, said guy nodded, his necklace giving off a glare from the lights in the room. Lucy studied him, wanting to know what the initials stood for, she would ask him later that night when they got home.

Natsu met Lucy's eyes but gave no look of recognition. Her heart sinking, believing he would turn out just like the rest, when she had hoped he would be different. They had all ignored her in public, pretending they didn't know her. Lucy looked down to finish tying her ballet shoes while Aquarius finished. "Dragneel will be helping us this month to improve and give the best show ever. Don't disappoint me! He's far more strict than I am."

Everyone around Lucy was either scared of, or fawning over Natsu. For some reason, this was making her extremely jealous, especially as the guy smirked at her fellow dancers. Everyone was partnering up and Lucy began walking towards her normal partner, only to be dragged away by Natsu.

"What the hell, Natsu?" She whisper shouted.

Natsu just gave her a look. "You're mine now. That means no one else gets to touch you this intimately." He placed his hands on her waist, feeling the inhale and exhale of her breathing. Natsu reached up and pulled off his necklace, before sliding it over Lucy's head and tucking it under her leotard, making sure that everyone saw. Lucy shivered at his touch and he smirked again, this time, only at her.

"What are you waiting for everybody, begin practicing. Miss Heartfilia and I will walk around and correct your posture, positions, and techniques." Everyone grumbled, feeling that Lucy always got special treatment, and Natsu seemed to pick up on this. "No, this is not because of any relationship we may have, this is solely because Aquarius told me that Lucy was the hardest worker, the best dancer, and the one who choreographed the dances. Therefore, making her the ideal candidate for this position."

Lucy smiled at Natsu thankfully. He looked back at her and grinned, dragging her to the first pair.

By the time practice was over, everyone had danced the piece at least three times, most of them had danced it five. Natsu held Lucy to his side, calling out to the other dancers. "Good job today, but I want to see better technique next week, so work on that got it?" Everyone mumbled an affirmative and began to leave. Lucy detached herself from Natsu and walked over to her bag, packing up.

However, Natsu had other plans. As soon as everyone else was gone he grabbed her hand, pulling her into his chest. "You and I need to practice as well." He let go of Lucy and scratched his head, trying to pinpoint the scene where she was faltering. Sighing, he looked up at her. "Okay, let's try something else. Let's dance the seduction scene again." Lucy frowned, confused as to why they needed to practice that. "Your technique is great, nearly perfect, but your feeling about the piece needs to be revealed. So, we're going to do it again. And try, really try to seduce me this time, okay?"

Lucy looked up at him shocked and blushed. He wasn't making fun of her, he didn't have that glint in his eyes, but it still made her embarrassed all the same.

"When you did it with your partner yesterday," Lucy was even more shocked. "Yes, I watched you lot yesterday, to get a feel of what I would need to do. Anyway, yesterday you didn't seem very convincing, and I know you're better than that, so I want to see if we can get your emotions out."

Lucy knew why she didn't show her emotions yesterday. That guy she was partnered with, Dan, was interested in her and kept asking her out. So she hadn't wanted to give him the wrong idea. Natsu leaned down and whispered in her ear, "don't worry Luce, I'm your partner from here on out. Didn't I tell you no one else could touch you?" Natsu's hands were gripping her waist and Lucy's hips bucked forward a bit. Natsu smirked at her reaction. "Okay, lets just dance." Natsu dragged Lucy over to press play on the music, then dragged her back to the middle of the floor.

They repeated the scene multiple times, Natsu coaching Lucy, and Lucy telling him that he should actually dance the piece with her. When he finally did, Natsu's hands stayed on her waist. The two were in perfect sync, Lucy making a step forward, and Natsu pulling her around into a pirouette. Together, they finished the dance, having somehow made it to the wall, Lucy was pinned against it. He really seemed to like pinning her against walls. They were both breathing heavily, and Lucy could feel Natsu's breath on her neck.

Every time she breathed in, Lucy's chest brushed against Natsu's. He shoved the hair that had fallen out of her bun away and buried his face in her neck. She leaned her head away from him, giving him more access. "How was that?" She asked in a low voice. In response he stepped into her, raising his head and looking into her eyes. Lucy could clearly tell she had done something to him. His eyes were darkened with need and he leaned down, capturing her lips with his own. Lucy gasped as he did, and he took the opportunity to explore her mouth.

When they finally pulled away, Lucy saw someone standing behind Natsu and squeaked.

The person laughed. "Glad you two are getting along so well. We were hoping this would work out." Lucy's eyes widened as she heard her father's voice. Natsu turned around blushing.

"Mr. Heartfilia!" "Father!" The two cried out simultaneously.

"Please son, call me Jude. Sorry about barging in on you two here, but Aquarius told me that you guys were still here and I just wanted to come give you the keys Lucy."

Lucy stepped away from Natsu, taking the keys from her father, who smiled at her knowingly. Lucy blushed as he turned away and walked to the hall. She heard him talking to someone else. "You were right as always Igneel." Natsu came and stood behind her, his hands going to her waist. Lucy looked up at him, concerned. "They were in there having a make out session. All the other boys didn't get that response from her when they tried to have a go at her."

Lucy blushed and frowned at her father's words and Natsu's grip on her tightened. He spun her around. "What does he mean, 'have a go' at you?"

Lucy put her hand on Natsu's arm. "Don't worry about it. Like he said, none of them have lasted, only you." Natsu's lip twisted into a snarl for a second.

"I don't want anyone else touching you like this."

Lucy tilted her head, still surprised at Natsu's possessive nature. He wanted her, she could tell that he cared about her, but she was unsure why. "Of course not." Out of every guy she's gone out with, Natsu has been the only one possessive like this. All the others were interested in showing her off, and when she denied them of that they would pretend she didn't exist. On the other hand, Natsu was more interested in keeping her hidden. Oddly, it made her like him more, that he didn't just want to show her off.

Natsu leaned down and kissed her again, putting his hands underneath her thighs and prompted her to jump with a squeeze. Lucy did, wrapping her legs around his waist, and he backed them into the bar, setting Lucy on top of it, but not letting her go. When they pulled away for air, he smiled at her.

"Damn Luce, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." Lucy scrunched her eyebrows. "Oh come on. I have wanted to kiss you since we were like five!" Natsu laughed at her facial expressions. "What, did you think I wouldn't remember?"

Lucy didn't give Natsu an answer, instead pulling him down for another kiss. This time when they pulled away for air, Lucy spoke lightly. "I need to change, can you let me down?"

"But I don't wanna." He whined into her neck. Though he said that, he let her down anyways and she smiled at him. She bent over to grab her bag, and Natsu watched as she sashayed away from him, already missing the feeling of kissing her.

* * *

Hey lovelies!

So this part was the part based off of ayumichi-me's drawings. Also, when I was writing this, I truly did practice the choreography, trying to think of how to describe it to non-dancers so that you could understand. I hope you did, and I would love to hear from you!

~Rayhne


	3. Chapter 3

NaLu

Rating - T for themes discussed

Chapter Rating - T for themes and ideas

Genre - Romance & Friendship

Word Count - 6,193 Words

Chapter Word Count - 1,764 Words

* * *

Lucy stepped into the dressing room, not realizing there were still girls in there dressing in their normal clothing. It had been nearly half an hour since the class had ended, she hadn't thought any of them would still be there.

"Hey Lu!" Lucy looked over her shoulder after pulling her hair out of her bun to see her best friend, Levy standing there.

"Levy! What's up?" Lucy began to reach for her normal clothes before Levy put a hand on her arm.

"Before you change, do you think you could help me with some of the choreography?" A few other girls walked up behind Levy.

"Us too, please Lucy?" Lucy grimaced, really wanting to go home, but knowing she couldn't until everyone was gone anyway. Instead she nodded and pushed her bag to the side of the dressing room before motioning for them to follow her.

"But Natsu! I don't understand the steps."

"No." Lucy heard Natsu reply to whoever was talking to him. "I'm waiting for Lucy."

Lucy stepped out, and put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Well she got roped into helping her friends understand the moves, so she will be busy for a bit." Natsu looked over and frowned.

"Well, a couple of the guys don't really understand some of the moves so they were hoping I could teach it to them." Lucy quickly assessed the amount of boys and decided that they would practice together.

"You guys set this up."

Erza nodded, her scarlet hair still tightly wrapped in the bun. "We did."

Natsu looked at Lucy. "How'd you know?"

"These are all their partners."

"Oh." With that, the group walked back into the practice room.

Lucy quickly took control, and Natsu watched her in awe. "Okay first, lets do this. Girls on that side," she pointed left. "Boys on that side." She pointed the other way and all the boys walked that way, including Natsu, but Lucy grabbed his arm. "Not you." The boys had a bit of freestyle in the beginning so she wanted to see that first. "All right, we will do this pair by pair, same thing for all though. Female's leaps, male's freestyle. First pair, Levy and Jellal." Lucy put her hand on her chin as they walked into the center.

Then she shook her head. "No. I don't care what Aquarius says. Tallest and shortest make for a much more dynamic characteristic in this type of dance. Gajeel, switch with Jellal." The two switched, listening to the blonde standing tall in front of the mirror. "Perfect. Now, when I play the music — and no, it will not be the choreographed piece — I want Gajeel to show me your freestyle, and Levy, leap in a diagonal from upstage right to downstage left. Gajeel, you do your thing, but make sure it doesn't get in her way. Also, you have to start in the downstage left position. Ready yourselves." She pressed the play button and then counted them in. "One, two, three, four, _five, six, seven, eight_. Go."

Lucy watched as the two began their routine. Right as the four eight-counts before the music began ended, Levy did a leap over Gajeel who was on the ground, and just as she was going over him in a side leap with her back bent he pushed up off the ground, and when she landed he ended palms on the floor and feet crouched, ready to begin the choreographed sequence. Lucy grinned. "Perfect. Do you do that as your freestyle every time Gajeel?"

"Haven't changed it once."

"Good. Levy, Gajeel, that is what I want you to start with when we actually perform. Do you understand? Not before."

Natsu watched as the girl beside him absolutely bewildered him. She was a phenomenal judge of just when to do things and how to pair people together. She knew how to pair the strengths and weaknesses and when to use them against each other. None of the pairs in the room knew that their dance teacher was standing in the hall watching as Lucy went over the choreography with her friends. Aquarius knew of Layla's daughter's talent, but always pushed her to bend out of her comfort zone. It was easier to work in your comfort zone if you had to work out of it too.

"All right, I want you two to come over here and get to know each other a bit. Trust needs to be built between a pair." Lucy pointed to the space to her left where Natsu wasn't at, then she turned to him. "What did you think of that performance?"

"To be honest, it was phenomenal. For never being paired together they had a wonderful performance. Like you said, trust needs to be built, and it will most likely be out of the littler one's comfort zone, as she looks more used to technique and she's working with someone who is more loose and free-forming."

"Okay. But I didn't over step by changing the pair?" Her brown doe eyes looked up at Natsu and he nearly blushed.

"No. Not at all. In fact, most of the pairs in here need to be rearranged."

"All right. Lets have the rest of you out here real quick. Stand by your partner. Jellal and Lisanna, stand to the side, since your partners were taken from you." Lucy did a quick assessment of who she had before she began pulling people. "Ever, come here." She kept the suspense, not telling anybody who their partner was. "Mira, you too." One by one she called all of the females forward before finally nodding, deciding on who she would want up. "All right, first up is probably the oddest pair, but most likely a phenomenal one. Cana and Freed."

Everyone looked at Lucy like gaping fish, surprised at the pairing in front of them. Lucy just smiled, before directing the two on where to start. Cana mainly did développé leaps, not showing a good variety in her depth and the floor pattern she was given. Freed on the other hand, did leaps and turns around Cana. Lucy laughed at the end, completely expecting that. "All right, I think I've had enough fun. But really, you two are partners, however, the role of male will be played by Cana, and female played by Freed." Natsu looked over at Lucy appreciatively, surprised at her decision, but he didn't refute it. After their opening was decided, Lucy pulled them to the side.

"I need you guys to teach each other how to do the other part. So go in the practice room next door and work on that." They both nodded and walked out, and Lucy called up the next pair. "Elfman and Ever."

"Me and this brute? Really Lucy, why?" Lucy smiled, knowing Evergreen was just complaining to complain. It was how she was.

"Because you need a man as your partner." Lucy and Elfman both said in synch.

"Listen, it is simply a better match than Bixlow was for you. You need someone who can handle your style and your assertiveness. Bixlow was just giving in to you and letting you take over, but you need to be _led_ in this piece." Lucy smiled as the two nodded. She set them up and watched as the two worked with each other. Elfman brought Evergreen into his freestyle and she didn't complain once, instead, enjoying the lifts he was doing.

When they were done, Lucy again smiled and told them to sit next to Gajeel and Levy. The next pairing she called up together was no surprise to Natsu, who was actually hoping for the two. "Jellal and Erza." The two worked flawlessly with each other, and he had seen them practicing together the day before when their partners had left. When Natsu nodded Lucy looked over at him, silently telling him to take over for those two.

He gave them the same as Levy and Gajeel, only from upstage left to downstage right. When they were done, Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Jellal all had satisfied smiles on their faces. Natsu just told them to sit down and watch the other groups. There were about four more. "Wendy and Romeo, you are up next." Their partners didn't change, so they already had a routine down, and Lucy had them just go for it. The two went and sat with Erza and Jellal after their performance. "Mirajane and Laxus."

Again, the performance was smooth, and it was probably because the two practiced together since they _were_ together. Relationship-wise anyway. Next up was, "Juvia and Gray." Gray groaned and Lucy grinned at him. "Sorry, but you two have body types that work together well, and you complement each other greatly." Lucy was right in that, the only problem was truly the different perspectives on the pairing from the two. They danced wonderfully together, nearly as complimenting as Levy and Gajeel, but not quite as confident in themselves or the other person as they were.

"And last, we have Lisanna and Bixlow. Now you two, sad to say, are the left over pair, but your body types will work together. Bixlow you aren't _too_ tall for Lisanna's dancing style, nor is she too forward for your own style to shine through." Bixlow looked at Lucy incredulously. "Oh, come _on_ Bixlow. I've danced with you before. I know you have a phenomenal style all your own. You just need to let it through." Lucy took in a deep breath before telling the two to begin, without telling them anything else. The two did and everyone's eyes were glued to the pair.

First it was Bixlow doing his little pop and lock robot type moves while Lisanna did some stationary leaps. Then, when she was in the air on her third leap, Bixlow grabbed her waist and it turned into a side leap in the air as he twirled her around before she clamped her legs around him and put her hands on the ground. Bixlow did a front flip as he let go of Lisanna, who slid out of the way of her partner's landing and went into her own leaps. Somehow they ended up in a position where Lisanna was sitting over his shoulders in a straddle position, her legs out and her elbows on his head. They were both breathing hard, but smiling.

Lucy and Natsu had wonderful things to say about their performance, before everyone was begging for the two to do their own. They looked at each other and smiled before nodding.

* * *

Hey lovelies!

All right, so first of all, Freed is only doing this opposite because of Cana's body type and assertive personality. I know that was something someone was questioning me about when I first posted this so I figured I would address that. I tried to think of good dynamics for each character, not just relationships, and in the end personalities and my ships did end up working together for most of them. However, I had originally had Bixlow, Lisanna, Cana, and Freed left over and had no idea what to do with them. I almost completely cut them from the scene, but to be honest, I'm quite happy with how the pairs turned out. As always, let me know what you thought or if you have any questions!

~Rayhne


	4. Chapter 4

NaLu

Rating - T for themes discussed

Chapter Rating - T for themes and ideas

Genre - Romance & Friendship

Word Count - 6,193 Words

Chapter Word Count - 988 Words

* * *

Lucy and Natsu stepped out onto the floor just as Cana and Freed came back in the room. Lucy looked at Levy and nodded, and the shorter blue haired female pressed the play button. Instead of it just being a random accompaniment, it was the actual music they were going to be dancing to. Lucy stepped away from Natsu, stepping and looking repetitively as he did the same, opposite her, their legs overlapping in the stance they were in. When they began the full routine, those sitting and watching 'oohed' and 'ahed.'

The steps began with a simple jazz walk around the male. Lucy was assessing him. She was seeing his worth, but then Natsu pounced. He gripped her waist and they walked forward, him with a proud smile, and Lucy watching him with a slight frown. Her evaluation of him was complete and she did a side leap away from him, Natsu chasing after her.

Whenever Lucy would be close to 'escaping' Natsu, he would _just_ be able to grip her. The first time it was her foot, then her fingertips, then finally, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in. One of his hands splayed against her stomach and the other turned her head so she was looking at him. She slowly took steps backwards, making him follow before she pressed on his chest.

The next little bit was more of an animalistic part, Lucy dropping down into a side lunge and Natsu into a plank. Natsu mirrored Lucy's movements in a more masculine way and when she stood up into a pirouette, he turned into a chaîné. His turn landed him right in front of Lucy and he took one of her hands in his own, spinning her once more before Lucy gained a smirk.

Her other hand reached out, fingertips sliding across his chest before she began walking haughtily forward. Natsu gripped both of her hands in his and twisted them as he walked behind her. Her right hand escaped his grasp and she pulled it over, lightly trailing it up over his face and into his hair, yanking his head down before turning her own head to look at him.

She kicked up her left leg and his left hand caught it. She pliéed before jumping, and while airborne, Natsu released her other hand and flipped her over using her leg. When she was right side up again, she slid through his legs, using the momentum to break his hold. Her seduction scene was over, and it was time for Natsu to claim his prize. He prowled over to her as she lay there on the floor, seemingly unsuspecting, but just before he got to her, she rolled kicking her leg up before hitting the ground beside her and arching her back up. She collapsed and grabbed ahold of her leg, swinging to a sitting position. She stood up and did two turns before repeatedly pirouetting until she nearly 'fell'. Luckily Natsu was there to 'catch' her and she tried to escape his grasp, quickly stepping back, but she 'tripped' and fell, Natsu went with her, more to cage her than anything. He was holding himself up from the plank position on his forearms and her arms wrapped around him. One around his neck, and the other around his back.

When the music ended the others in the room began clapping. "What the hell was that Lu? I don't think I've ever seen you dance like that before." Levy asked her friend. _Probably not, because I never had anyone who made it real for me._ Lucy's original reasoning for the choreography was simple. It was her, running and escaping, or trying to escape, all those who only wanted to use her. However, the last person she tried to escape was really there for _her_. He was the one who gripped her by the waist and who made her begin the art of seduction. When she had finally gotten him, she had learned of his first twisted intentions, and went to think on her lover. That was when he wanted to claim his prize, and she didn't realize until the last second that he was the one she wanted.

Natsu rolled off of her and Lucy could truly feel the warmth she lost when he moved. "That was amazing man! I'm not sure I've seen you put that much feeling in something since you broke up with—"

"Gray." Natsu warned his frenemy.

Lucy frowned, but didn't pry, no matter how much she wanted to. "So, what part do you guys not have down?"

"Yeah, all of whatever the hell _that_ was, Lu. But we need to practice the moves with our new partners first before trying it."

Everyone filed out the door, except for Wendy, who stayed to talk to Lucy. "Lucy?"

"Yeah Wendy? What's up?"

"The seduction part, how am I supposed to work that?"

Lucy smiled, "come here Wendy." Lucy took the role of the male, and Wendy tried her best to get through the scene. "All right, first of all, you do not need to do it like I did it. You are in the background for this part for a reason, because you don't need to be going full out like this. The entire point of this part is to put your own feeling into it. For you Wendy, it is almost as though it is your own freestyle. How Romeo does in the beginning, it is now your turn. You can make this seduction however you want it to be, whether a passionate fire, like I do with Natsu, or a home cooked meal, like Mira did when she was partnered with Elfman."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"It is whatever you feel comfortable with Wendy, _not_ what the choreography tells you."

"Thank you Lucy."

"No problem," she said taking the younger girl's hand, "now, let's go get changed."

* * *

Hey lovelies!

This was a bit harder to write, mainly because I had to think of a way for Natsu and Lucy's personalities to affect the way they danced, and while it's true that the two may or may not interact this way really, the two certainly have that tension. Lucy has always been the fake seduction type of girl and I wanted to show that when she found someone who she truly meant it with it would be different, hence Levy's lines here. Then I addressed something I think everybody should know, in or out of dancing. Choreography is meant to be changed, messed with, bent, and twisted. Technique isn't always perfection, sometimes it's just how well you can make your own body work for you rather than attempting to do exactly as someone else. But let me know what you thought, any questions you have, I love hearing from you!

~Rayhne


	5. Chapter 5

NaLu

Rating - T for themes discussed

Chapter Rating - T for themes and ideas

Genre - Romance & Friendship

Word Count - 6,193 Words

Chapter Word Count - 779 Words

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Lucy frowned at Natsu, unsure what to say to his answer. She had asked him what the initials meant, and he had just told her not to worry about it. _E.N.D._ She just didn't understand. Was there some meaning behind the word end, or was it just a coincidence? She bit her lip as his phone rang, knowing he was just going to brush the conversation off then. She slid her hands behind her neck and unlatched the chain, before setting on the seat she had been in moments before.

Then she left with not even a wave to get his attention. She didn't want to bother him, and she wouldn't pry. She would just have to tell her father that Natsu Dragneel wouldn't work out either. She sighed as she imagined the look of disappointment she would get from him. However, at least for a little while, she would go back to the studio and dance away her own feelings of disappointment.

The more she practiced, the more the feelings entered her, and during the one part she had known only Natsu could dance with her, she broke down crying. Suddenly arms went around her, catching her as she fell slightly to the ground.

"I thought I would find you here." A husky voice whispered to her and she sobbed harder. "Luce, look at me." She shook her head, burying her head in his chest. "Lucy. Please baby, look at me." Her sobs got louder as she clutched onto his shoulders. He paused for a few moments. "Etherious Natsu Dragneel." Lucy looked at him confused, her sobs shortening. "That's what it stands for. E.N.D. I didn't realize it was so important to you. I'm sorry. It just doesn't matter to me."

"It obviously does if you have a necklace with your initials engraved."

"Huh, never thought about that. I guess you're right. I never thought about it that way." Lucy shook her head, letting Natsu comfort her, even though it was him who had put her in the situation in the first place. "Do you wanna practice?" Lucy leaned back and smiled at Natsu.

—

Lucy stood a bit further away from the wings back stage. She was watching as the partners did their dance before she and Natsu had to go on stage. She watched as each of the partners, in their separate places on stage did the movements, opening the dance in their own ways. Cana and Freed, the only two she hadn't seen their final product, looked amazing.

Freed trying to push Cana around only for the girl to take more of a hip hop turn to Freed's classical movements.

"Are you proud of them?" Warm breath covered her ear and she shuddered as hands found their perch on her hips.

"Very." She replied to the choreographer currently burying his head into her neck. He kissed behind her ear before stepping away as the music began to change. He grinned at her and held out a hand.

"May I have this dance?" She took his hand with a smile before the two smoothed their faces and walked to the center of the stage, dodging the other dancers. When everyone began to start the dance, she was watching their movements, noticing proudly that she matched people up quite well. But then Natsu's hands were on her and she was focused on the pounding of her heart, the feeling the dancing gave her and the meaning behind her choreography.

She shocked herself when, at the end, she truly did pull him down and kiss him, earning a cheer from her friends on stage. And when they pulled apart, it was like nothing could make them happier.

—

Three years later, and just as their father's had claimed, the two were to be married. They had their ups and down, even breaking up for nearly a week, to which their friends schemed in order to get them back together. After they were, all of their friends complained loudly and often that said week was hell. Apparently both partners couldn't stand to be away from each other that long, especially in a fight, which oddly enough, neither could remember the reason for.

Lucy was often grateful for Natsu, as he always made sure she was okay, no matter the situation. In more than one he had gotten into a fight, but what else would she expect. The two took over her mother's dance studio, choreographing and dancing as well as teaching there. But there was one thing that Lucy was grateful for more than any of that.

She was terribly grateful that the two were no longer dancing around their feelings.

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Hey lovelies!

Okay, so this is the last chapter, and it may seem a bit rushed. Originally I was just not gonna post it, but I figured you guys needed a conclusion, and I'm really not one to just leave something unfinished. I have had this written since before I said I probably wasn't going to finish, simply because I didn't feel you guys would be satisfied with this ending, but in all reality, this is how it should end, so I'm going to leave you with this. I hope you enjoyed the story over all and I really would love to hear any thoughts or questions you had as a whole. Thanks again for reading! I guess I'll see you if you read some of my other works! Love ya!

~Rayhne


	6. Commissions

Hello my lovelies!

I've been thinking about doing this for a long while now, and after some convincing (rough bullying that consisted of some shoving and pushing) done by some of my friends I have finally decided to open my commissions. There are many reasons for this, and if you're curious I can explain, but otherwise let's leave it open!

Alright, now, let's talk what you really wanna know. What am I commissioning?

 _Fanfiction!_

But before we go any further, what's the price looking like? (If you're outside of the U.S. let me know.)

The starting price is $5. The fic will be at _least_ 1,000 words and each 1,000 words after that is an additional $5. Due to my writing habits, let me know upfront how much you're willing to pay maximum so that I can be sure to write a good story for you and stay inside of your budget. I will take the first payment up front, but the rest just before I post it on my website for your viewing pleasure.

My website is just rayhneatess . com (without the spaces). Each commission will be linked to under the tab other works - fanfiction - commissions.

Rules of the commissions:

For now, all I am taking for commissions is NaLu fanfictions.

The sky is pretty much the limit on this. If you really wanna know what I can write good, check out my other fics. I'm not really big on the original tropes for this, so try to keep away from those!

Finally, if you would like to commission please fill out this form:

If you are reading from ff then please go to my website or my tumblr, both of which are linked in my profile.

Thanks!

~Rayhne

 _I will do a 'trade' if you can't afford it, just let me know!_


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